STEWED TOMATO AND FRESH MOZZARELLA SALAD

Stewed Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad image

Provided by Damaris Phillips

Time 1h40m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

10 Roma tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
7 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade, for garnish

Steps:

Peel the tomatoes by first scoring them on the bottom with an "x" and then submerging them in boiling water for 15 seconds. Immediately plunge the tomatoes into a bowl of ice water. The skins will peel right off.
Quarter the tomatoes, then cut out the cores and remove the seeds. Add the tomatoes to a heavy medium pot, along with the red peppers, honey and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook over medium heat until the flavors have combined and the peppers and tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature¿the mixture can be frozen at this at this stage.
While the tomatoes cool, marinate the mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice.
When the tomato mixture is completely cooled, strain off and discard the excess juice, and then add the mixture to the marinated mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Garnish with basil before serving.